Viral video: Jharkhand’s forest dept uses Archimedes principle to rescue elephant stuck in well

The rescue operations reportedly started around 7 am and went on for about three hours before the elephant was rescued using the upward buoyant force theory.

Applying the famous principle, the rescue team filled the well with water using motorised pipes. The struggling elephant floated to the top of the well and it was able to climb out of the well through a ramp that was dug for it to climb out.

Watch the video here:

#sbo_gumla pic.twitter.com/WsQd7vMnfK

— nawal kishor (@nawalkishor2323) January 30, 2020

The video was shared by Indian Forest Service official Ramesh Pandey on his Twitter feed. The official also praised the Divisional Forest Officer of Gumla and his team for the rescue plan.

Heartwarming pictures of how intelligently the team @dfogumla and villagers using Archimedes’s physical law of buoyancy save an elephant calf who had fell in a well. They pumped water into well to float the elephant to surface. Great work. @Forest_Dept_GOJ pic.twitter.com/DP8ydrctsp

— Ramesh Pandey IFS (@rameshpandeyifs) January 30, 2020

Here’s how people reacted to the video:

Wonderful application of mind and laws of physics at one Go @PhysicsNews @thebetterindia @IITKgp @mgm_group11

— Dr.Dahale S S (@dahaless) January 31, 2020

The best part is the sensitivity shown towards wild life preservation by the villagers. No doubt heart warming

— Yashovardhan Azad (@yashoazad) January 31, 2020

Amazing! Science at its best. Great example to show to kids during Physics lesson! They will get to learn both science & love to animals

— Vijay Mohankumar (@VijiMohankumar) January 30, 2020

Amazing, they have set an example for others to follow in similar emergency situations

— GodsonOrganicFarm (@FarmGodson) January 30, 2020

Amazing. Wonderful effort by him.

— @alanjha (@alankjha58) January 30, 2020

Smart thinking by the team @dfogumla and villagers … Amazing story to narrate to school children on how they can apply their learning in school to real life :- )

— Sujit Panigrahi (@sujitpanigrahi) January 30, 2020

Once me and my friends rescued a buffalo In my village, Same as this.

— gautam gupta (@gautamg88651882) January 30, 2020

What an idea sir ji! Practical application of theory. I would have never thought about it if left alone. Great to see forest department doing wonderful job! Keep it up!!👌🏻🙂

— Nishad Kulkarni (@nishadkulkarni) January 30, 2020

Wise Team….. 👍https://t.co/HNYDGpjyBr

— Pankaj Thapliyal (@PankajT04765688) January 30, 2020

Marvelous example of traditional scientific knowledge of the village. In day to day activities more people are using such knowledge to live their lives in comfortable ways.

— Niraj Singh@DPPQS. (@NirajSingh701) January 30, 2020

And just in case you’re not familiar with the scientific principle, the Archimedes principle that is also known as the physical law of buoyancy, says that any body partly or completely submerged in a fluid is acted upon by an upward force. The magnitude of the upward force is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.